Prerogative
by Macx
Summary: Eddie runs into a whole lot of trouble from his past when something comes after him; something bad. Because Eddie was a big bad wolf once and he did a lot of damage. Nick won't let anyone kill the blutbad out of some kind of sick revenge.


Written for the grimm_kink prompt post round 1: So, we've covered the Eddie protects Nick prompts, but what about someone (another Grimm, another creature?) going after Eddie. Whether this is related to his affiliation with Nick or for some other reason is up to anon!writer.

x x x x x x

Brief note: the idea of the creature was taken from a screen capture as Nick is going through Marie's book. I think I got the name of the creature right. The rest I completely made up!

(See the end of the work for more notes)

x x x x x x

The air reeked of blood. It lay like a blanket over the scene and Nick gritted his teeth, trying not to throw up. He wasn't squeamish – a good trait for a homicide cop – and he had seen his share of violent scenes, but it had never involved someone close to him. There had been dreams in the beginning, of Juliette and murder, but with time that had disappeared as he had developed more of a routine in his job. With their separation, things hadn't changed for Nick.

With Eddie's part in his life now, things definitely had again.

"Don't," he warned the man standing not far away.

A creature.

Taller than him, a lot more demonic than even a hexenbiest, and clearly on the murderous side of the line. Because the victim lay at the creature's feet, barely conscious, bleeding, and defenseless.

"You don't know what you're protecting," the demon snarled.

Was he winged? There was something on his back, like bony structures that might unfold.

"I know exactly who he is." Nick's gun never wavered. "Step away. Leave."

Last warning. At least from the cop he was. The Grimm would give him one more chance after that. Nick wasn't a creature killer and he never would be.

"He's a killer! Hiding behind a mask of humanity!"

"Aren't we all?"

It got him a snarl.

Nick had no idea what kind of creature he was facing, only that he had a job, and that involved protecting the innocent as well.

"He is a blutbad! He took countless lives!"

"And he has redeemed himself."

"There is no redemption for them."

"That's not for you to decide."

The demon turned away from the half-conscious blutbad, baring teeth that were even more impressive than a blutbad's fangs. His face wasn't even remotely human, all scale plates and sharp protuberances, the yellow-golden eyes unblinking. The whole look had something gargoylesque about it.

"You are a Grimm."

Nick raised one corner of his mouth in a cold smile. So this was one of those creatures that recognized him.

"You should have hunted him down already."

"I hunt down the bad ones."

"Do you know how many lives he took?"

"Yes."

The demon drew back with a surprised rumble. Nick was telling the truth. He had sat Eddie down one night and had told him to talk. The reluctant blutbad had, hesitantly and with a lot of fidgeting and gestures and barely any eye contact. Nick knew everything from his long history and he had accepted it.

"Who are you?" the Grimm now asked.

It got him a rough chuckle. "Haven't read up on the lore yet? I am a waage. I balance the scales." The yellow eyes glowed ominously. "This one," he gestured at Eddie, "invaded my city, took what was mine to protect, and he killed. He took many lives, all of them young girls and women. He left a trail of tears and blood. He taunted me by coming back twice."

Nick glanced at the semi-conscious man, saw the pain and the fear and the resigned knowledge in the dark eyes.

"He's no longer that blutbad," he stated firmly. "And you are out of your territory."  
>And what the heck was a waage?<p>

"This is mine," he went on. "He's in my jurisdiction."

Was there even such a thing for Grimms? His aunt had travelled. But Nick had no such plans and Portland was his beat, as a cop and as a Grimm.

"Eddie works for me, has helped me greatly, and I trust him. He is a reformed wolf and whatever he did before, he has paid for that."

The waage bared his teeth again. "It's a dangerous game you play, Grimm. Give his kind the opportunity and they will turn on you."

The demon was approaching and Nick stood his ground. Get the creature away from Eddie; everything else he had to wing.

Up close the armor-plated body and the long, knife-like talons were even more impressive. He vaguely remembered seeing a drawing in Aunt Marie's book, but he couldn't recall much about it.

The waage sniffed. Then he rumbled again, almost like he was chuckling.

"I see," he said. "You walk a dangerous line, Grimm."

Nick stood his ground, face hard, unyielding, still aiming his service weapon at the demon.

"You think this is enough to assure his loyalty? Or have you laid a complete claim on him already?"

His lips became thin lines. "None of your business."

Another rough chuckle. "He was right. You are a handful."

Nick opened his mouth to ask what that meant, but the waage was suddenly gone. A blur, moving so fast the human eye had trouble keeping up with him. Nick realized that the creature had toyed with him, would have been able to kill Eddie and take out Nick, too, if he wanted to, and there would have been nothing Nick could have done about it.

Shaking off his shock he ran over to the motionless blutbad and fell to his knees.

"Eddie?"

There was a lot of blood and the wounds looked deep and nasty. Eddie had curled up, protecting his stomach, and his breathing was raspy.

Nick whipped out his phone and called for an ambulance, giving his name and badge number, making it very urgent.

Brown eyes, overlaid with pain, watched him. The blutbad whispered his name, then slid off into unconsciousness.

x x x x x x

Eddie left against medical advice after one night of observation, glad to be out of a place that assaulted his nose with scents that drove him up the wall. He took a cab home, unwilling to call Nick, but he should have counted on the Grimm being there half an hour later, looking pretty pissed off.

"Don't," Eddie just growled, gingerly sinking onto the couch. He winced as the stitches pulled.

Nick glared at him, then turned and walked into the kitchen to grab some water. He held out a bottle to Eddie, who drank it slowly.

Silence hung between them.

Eddie remembered little after the attack, only that Nick had been there and he had been awesome. Amazing. Totally Grimm.

What he did remember was the identity of his attacker. The blutbad shivered. Waagen were really nasty and he, in his teenage years, had taunted one too often. He knew he should have died; he deserved it. His past was filled with rivers of blood.

Nick had saved him.

"I read up on the creature," Nick said calmly. "Waage. Looks nasty, but they are rather more like guardians."

Eddie nodded, playing with a bottle cap.

"They choose a town or a city and that's their territory."

Another nod.

"They only get as aggressive as the one that got you when something personal happens."

"Like a blutbad on a killing spree," Eddie mumbled.

Nick was silent.

"I went too far," the blutbad in question went on. "Way too far. One or two deaths, waagen can handle. Coming back and leaving nothing but carnage… they get absolutely mad. And if they choose particular humans as favorites, for whatever reasons, the result is… nasty."

Like a waage coming after Eddie to kill him.

The way the Grimm looked at him, Eddie felt like sinking deeper into the chair, trying to disappear. Sometimes Nick truly scared him. Not in a bad way, just unexpectedly. That was when the Grimm came out and the cop took the backseat. Gray eyes became colder, harder, more calculating, the stance that of a prowler, and while that was massively sexy in bed, right now, in his weakened state, the blutbad wanted to whine and beg forgiveness.

Nick moved over to him and Eddie swallowed. The Grimm leaned down and kissed him, just a brush of lips against lips, and no, Eddie didn't whimper when he drew back.

"I can be protective, too," the Grimm said in a low, promise-filled voice. "No one will get you. You're mine."

Eddie stared at him, cursing his injured body. He so badly wanted to jump the man, listening the words of claim.

Nick smiled, expression softening. "Get some rest. Heal."

And then he pushed back and Eddie fought the inner wolf down. He was in too much pain to act on what normally led to a round of fantastic sex.

Later, he promised himself. Much later.

x x x x x x

Nick left Eddie's house and his eyes strayed to the park across the road. It was dusky, the light waning early this time of the year. In an hour it would be dark and the temperatures would drop even more. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his winter coat. If not for a new case he would be back inside, watching over Eddie, taking care of his partner. As it was, he had a few more things to look up in a recent murder.

Something prickled across his neck and he narrowed his eyes at the darkening park. Something was there, his Grimm instincts told him. Watching. Waiting.

Nick walked down the steps, across the street, that very instinct leading him to the tree line. It had been here, months ago, that he had been watching Eddie Monroe and thinking he was their kidnapper/killer. It had been the day his life had changed profoundly and he had been unable to turn away from the blutbad.

Now he looked into the dusk, tense, ready.

Something moved between the trees. He didn't see a definite shape, but he suspected something.

"He's mine," he stated, voice level, cool, low. "My responsibility."

Another prickle, this time to his left. He glanced sideways and carefully let one hand slide to his service weapon.

Two.

Shit!

"I don't want this," Nick continued. "Leave."

No noise at all.

"Keep away," he said calmly, a last warning. "He's mine alone."

He silently waited. Nothing else happened. The Grimm could still feel the creature around, but it wasn't coming at him, nor had it made any other threatening moves.

Nick retreated and took out his cell. He called Hank, told him he was following another lead, to go on his own, that he would see him tomorrow.

He wasn't leaving Eddie tonight. Not with a possible waage watching his house.

x x x x x x

"He plays a dangerous game."

Golden-yellow eyes watched the house, then the tall man turned, looking nothing like the waage next to him. Human, only his eyes given him away. His powerful aura spoke another language, though.

"You trust him to handle the blutbad?" the waage asked.

"Completely. As he stated, this isn't your territory."

"No. It's yours."

Both silently watched the young Grimm walk back into the blutbad's house.

"Yes, it's mine," came the calm declaration, then the more human looking waage turned and walked away. "You have till morning to leave my city, brother."

The gargoylesque face twisted into a terrible smile. "I'm not looking to be this city's guardian. Grimms are naturally troublesome and yours has a blutbad mate."

A phone rang.

"Renard," the man answered, eyes becoming human again, the faint signs of his true nature disappearing completely. "Yes, Detective Burckhardt already told me he has a separate lead. I told him to run with it."

Renard smiled briefly, a cold and dark smile, and the other waage disappeared. He turned his full attention to his job and finally hung up on Hank Griffin.

He knew what he had in the Grimm and he had protected it before already. Marie Kessler had been lethal and dangerous and had had nothing to lose. Nick Burckhardt was a cop and a Grimm, and he went a completely new way.

One Renard was starting to approve.

If it meant a blutbad in the middle, so be it. He didn't care who the Grimm fucked one way or another. He had a territory to protect. His claim was on the city; Nick's claim was on the blutbad. As long as the young Grimm stayed out of his business, Renard would keep him under his protection. He had made his point with the reapers and they had heeded his warning.

No one had permission. Not as long as this was his territory, Grimm and all.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Notes: End note: the word for the creature in the book looked a lot like Waage, but I could be wrong. The first letter is kind of artsy.  
>Now, Waage is a German word for scales (or for the sign 'libra', too), so my interpretation of the whole thing went along the balancing guardian kinda creature.<p> 


End file.
